Apple Unveils HomeView Smart Display, New HomePod mini 2 and Apple TV 4K

HomeView is a 7-inch Liquid Retina smart display on an adjustable stainless steel hinge atop a hemispherical speaker base, with design cues reminiscent of the iMac G4. It comes in desktop and wall-mounted versions, in silver, starlight, rose pink and space gray, and the wall version uses a Schneider mounting accessory. The device has no battery and requires a USB-C cable for power. It is not intended for apps or video streaming; instead, it acts as a family dashboard, showing a clock and photos from a distance and expanding to schedules and tasks when someone approaches. Its front camera can recognize up to six users and display each person's calendar, reminders and widgets, but personal content appears only when a paired iPhone or iPad is nearby and recently unlocked, the report said. HomeView uses an A18 chip. The report gave conflicting pricing and availability details: it said USB-C-powered units start at $59.95, AC-powered versions at $79.95, and a PoE model at $129.95 for early 2027, while also saying desktop and wall-mounted versions are priced at $299 and will go on sale on Nov. 13, with the wall mount sold separately.

The HomePod mini 2 is the first update to the small speaker in six years, moving to an S10 chip that the report said is intended to improve bass and far-field voice pickup. It comes in pink, green, blue, white and midnight, and sells for 1,099 yuan in mainland China, 100 yuan more than the previous generation, with preorders open now and sales starting Oct. 30. A new Sound Glow light effect reacts to bass, treble and album-art colors, and can animate environmental sounds such as rain. Four HomePod mini 2 units can be combined for an Atmos home theater setup, but the feature requires a fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, which is not available in mainland China. The report estimated that four China-market HomePod mini 2 units would cost 4,396 yuan. The speaker can also serve as a Mac's default speaker, in single or stereo pairs, if the Mac supports Wi-Fi 6E or newer.

Apple TV 4K was updated after four years with an A19 chip, which the report said makes the CPU 50 percent faster and doubles GPU performance, plus a dedicated AV1 hardware decoder. It has three far-field microphones for Siri searches while watching TV, with echo cancellation to separate voice from audio. The new Siri Remote includes a speaker so it can be found by sound, and it supports Find My and precise finding with compatible iPhones, showing distance and direction. The Apple TV 4K is priced at $299 in North America, with preorders open now and availability on Nov. 13. The remote can be bought separately and is compatible with Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K. There is still no mainland China version.

Apple also introduced Apple Home Collection, developed with LG and Schneider. LG is providing door locks, video doorbells, indoor and outdoor cameras, floodlight cameras, thermostats and temperature-humidity sensors, while Schneider is offering thermostats and room sensors. The accessories are managed in Apple's Home app without separate brand apps or accounts. An LG lock with UWB can unlock automatically when an iPhone or Apple Watch approaches, while retaining PIN codes and a physical backup key, and the core unlocking logic runs locally. Accessories can be added by tapping an iPhone without scanning a QR code or downloading an app, and they can sync new Wi-Fi network information automatically. An indoor camera lowers its lens and stops monitoring when the first family member returns, then raises it when someone checks in from outside. Thermostats can adjust based on occupancy and sleep, and can read temperature and humidity data from HomeView, HomePod and HomePod mini devices. The collection will begin launching in December, with some products expected in early 2027. LG's lock starts at $349.95 and its doorbell at $249.95, while both companies' thermostats start at $199.95 and room sensors at $39.95. Initial markets include the United States and Canada, with no mainland China versions.

Siri AI support across the new devices is uneven, the report said. HomeView has full functionality at launch with its A18 chip, Apple TV 4K currently offers a beta version through the new system software, and HomePod mini 2 will receive features in a later software update. Personal schedules and information still require a nearby iPhone or iPad that supports Apple Intelligence. In the home, Siri can recall a song mentioned in a message, add missing recipe ingredients to a shopping list, continue a conversation from HomeView to an iPhone, and respond to TV queries such as 'play the show a friend recommended' in an overlay that does not interrupt playback. The report described automation routines in which a morning greeting adjusts the thermostat, lowers the indoor camera and starts music, while the last person leaving locks the door and re-arms the camera. Privacy features include cameras that lower their lenses when people enter and displays that show personal information only after recognizing the user and confirming a phone is present.

Many advanced features are tied to an iCloud+ subscription. The report said users need iCloud+ to review the past 10 days of event video, use AI video summaries and search footage in natural language. One camera requires 50GB of storage, while more cameras require 200GB or 2TB plans. Everyday control, music and FaceTime calls do not require the subscription, but video playback and deeper AI analysis do.

Editor's Summary Apple announced HomeView, an updated HomePod mini 2 and Apple TV 4K, and the LG- and Schneider-made Apple Home Collection, expanding its home ecosystem beyond personal devices. Most of the new hardware is initially aimed at the United States and Canada, with HomePod mini 2 the only new product with a mainland China release, and advanced video and AI features require an iCloud+ subscription.